Chapter 44

[44] Oppa, All Women Are Wolves.

Sia called at a very convenient—or perhaps inconvenient—moment.

We were in the middle of a meal, so it wasn’t exactly a good time to answer…

But even I couldn’t be sure what would happen if I didn’t pick up.

I excused myself and stepped away to take Sia’s call.

Just before answering, I wondered anxiously what she was going to say, swallowed hard, and picked up.

“Yeah, Sia?”

[Oppa, what are you doing?]

“Having lunch.”

[What have you been talking about with that woman?]

“It’s not like Yuna and I have been talking alone. Given the occasion, we’ve mostly been reminiscing about the old days.”

I told Sia everything we’d talked about, without leaving anything out.

I wasn’t sure whether I should mention this part, but I even told her that Yuna and I used to eat jajangmyeon together after our work was done when we were kids.

I knew there was nothing to gain by bringing it up.

Still, it was far better to tell her now than to let her hear about it later.

Fortunately, Sia didn’t seem as bothered as I’d expected.

As I was about to briefly fill her in on the rest of the conversation, Sia seemed to feel bad about calling while I was eating and said:

[Sorry for calling while you’re having lunch. Call me when your appointment is over, okay?]

“Sure. Enjoy your lunch.”

[But, Oppa.]

I was relieved and about to hang up when Sia asked me one more thing.

[What’s that woman wearing today? What’s her makeup like?]

…Why was she suddenly asking that?

I had no idea what she was getting at, but I decided to tell her what I’d noticed.

“She’s dressed pretty normally. Maybe she put a little more effort into it than when we saw her at the restaurant last time, but it doesn’t look like she went all out.”

I knew nothing about the world of women’s makeup or fashion, but that was the impression I’d gotten.

As I answered, I thought about why Sia might have asked.

I figured she wanted to know whether Yuna had dressed up with the intention of seducing me.

If I’d said, “She’s wearing a full face of makeup and looks like she really put effort into her outfit,” maybe Sia would have become even more wary of Yuna.

But as far as her outfit went, I hadn’t noticed anything like that.

To put Sia at ease, I added:

“From what I could tell, she just seemed to be here to have a meal.”

[No!]

Sia suddenly raised her voice in protest.

That startled me.

[Girls who’ve just turned twenty, or beginners, use heavy colors so it’s obvious they’re wearing a full face of makeup. Women like her, who use subtle colors so you can’t tell they’re wearing a full face… Haaah.]

What was this? Was there a whole world of women’s makeup that I knew nothing about?

I still didn’t really understand, but judging by Sia’s reaction, I wished I hadn’t brought it up.

[So, Oppa, all women are wolves. Be careful.]

Aren’t men the wolves?

Before I could ask, Sia left me with one last remark and hung up.

[Now go back and eat. You must be hungry, Oppa.]

…I didn’t know why, but something about this felt off.

When I returned to the table, the conversation was still going.

As soon as I sat down, Mom asked me:

“Who was that?”

“Sia.”

Yuna smoothly joined in.

“Your girlfriend? I’d like to see her again sometime.”

Well, Sia didn’t seem to feel the same way.

“Why?”

“Why? She seems cute, pretty, and kind. I’d like to get to know her.”

“She is all those things.”

Mom nodded with a fond smile, happy to hear her future daughter-in-law praised.

“Bring your girlfriend to my restaurant sometime. Oh, and I think I mentioned this before, but even though I’ve retired, I’m still your senior as a hunter. I’ll help you with anything I can. Maybe we could spar sometime?”

“Spar?”

“Sure. I was a promising A-rank hunter, after all. I’m sure I could be a big help to you and your girlfriend.”

Sparring, huh?

I wondered how dumbfounded Sia would be if she heard that.

Yuna probably meant it sincerely as an offer from a senior hunter to a junior, but knowing the truth, I couldn’t help laughing to myself.

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

Still, neither Sia nor I were likely to spar with her.

And if it ever did happen, I’d be more worried about Yuna, the one who’d be sparring with Sia.

“Yuna really does have a big-sisterly side to her. She takes such good care of her little brother.”

Mom watched the scene with a pleased expression.

That was how it looked from the outside, anyway. I wondered if she’d still think so after learning the whole truth.

Anyway.

We talked for quite a while after that, then finished our meal and left.

As soon as we stepped outside, Yuna asked Mom:

“Mom, have you heard of those four-frame photo booths?”

“Oh, the ones all the young people take pictures in these days?”

“That’s right. Since we’ve all met again after so long, how about we take a picture together to remember it?”

As she spoke, Yuna pointed to a photo booth across the street.

I didn’t take pictures like that often, except when I was with Sia, but I knew some people took them whenever they got the chance.

I understood that this was a perfectly natural suggestion.

At the same time, I knew that if Sia happened to see us, she’d probably shout, “How dare that little fox!” and grab Yuna by the hair.

But that didn’t mean I had any excuse to say I didn’t want to take a picture.

“Sounds great! I was just thinking we should take a picture together.”

“I’ve always wanted to try one, too. Let’s go.”

Both Mom and Yuna’s mother seemed delighted by Yuna’s suggestion.

And just like that, I got completely swept up in her plan again.

After taking the photos, then going to a café to talk some more, I could finally see the end of this whole outing.

“It’s been so long since we last saw each other. It’s hard to say goodbye already.”

“Right? Sis, I’ll be staying in Korea for another month or two. Let’s get in touch again!”

Mom and Yuna’s mother exchanged their goodbyes, clearly reluctant to part. While they were talking, Yuna came over to me.

“Bring your girlfriend to the restaurant sometime. From what I saw last time, she seemed to like our food.”

“…Uh, sure.”

If Yuna weren’t the owner, Sia probably would’ve been the one asking to go.

“Oh, Min-jun. That business card I gave you the other day—did you lose it?”

“I gave it to you so you’d get in touch, but you never did. I wondered if you’d lost it.”

I couldn’t tell her the truth—that I’d given the card to Sia—so I decided to lie.

“Oh, right. Now that you mention it, I think it fell out of my pocket.”

At my answer, Yuna joked, “I was worried you just didn’t want to talk to me,” then held out her hand.

“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.”

I got swept along and handed her my phone. She entered her number and even pressed the call button before giving it back to me.

“I’ll call you sometime. Let’s get a meal together.”

The whole thing had gone so smoothly that I couldn’t help feeling like I’d been played.

It all felt far too perfectly planned.

Anyway,

Everyone except me sincerely promised to meet again, and the outing came to an end.

I called Sia and reported everything that had happened.

I didn’t know why I was so nervous when I hadn’t done anything wrong.

As soon as I finished talking,

[Oppa, let’s have dinner together over video call tonight.]

Sia suggested it in a very flat tone, her feelings impossible to read.

Given our situation, we didn’t get many chances to meet and eat together, so since we’d reunited, we’d sometimes eaten like this to make it feel as though we were sharing a meal in person.

“Sounds good.”

But Sia’s expression as she asked me to eat with her was clearly different from usual.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on.

I’d spent quite a long time with Sia, but understanding a woman’s heart was still so difficult.

That evening, the meal Sia had prepared happened to be jajangmyeon.

She claimed it was a coincidence, but I knew.

There was no way it was a coincidence.

The next day,

After taking part in a Gate raid early that morning, I stopped by Rokan’s lair around dusk.

Rokan had suggested we spar, since I’d used the Dragon Speech and had a new sword.

After I arrived, we exchanged quick greetings and began sparring almost immediately, without even a moment to rest.

“The format will be similar to last time. I’ll only block, so attack me with your sword. There is one small difference, though.”

Rokan took a sword out of his subspace.

“This sword is different.”

We’d used wooden swords during our previous spar, but this time he seemed to be planning to use a real one.

Rokan again said he wouldn’t attack, only block.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy when he was holding a real sword instead of a wooden one.

Anyway.

Just as he had the first time we sparred, Rokan used the Dragon Speech to transport me to some field I didn’t recognize, and our match began.

I still remembered the basic keywords: will and dominion. The problem was what came after that.

Some time had passed since I’d first started wielding the power of dragons, and I’d even managed to use the Dragon Speech. A part of me felt pressured to show that I’d improved somehow.

Maybe Rokan had brought a real sword because he’d guessed how I was feeling.

“Then let’s begin.”

Rokan held his sword and beckoned me forward. I steadied my breathing and tried to recall what it had felt like when I used the Dragon Speech.

A desperate, all-consuming determination to survive.

Maybe the word “desperate” didn’t suit dragons.

After all, dragons were beings revered as the strongest creatures in the world from the moment they were born.

Until now, I’d assumed that the will dragons used to wield the Dragon Speech meant a lofty sense of superiority, something like “dominion.”

But when I thought back to the times I’d truly brought out the power of dragons, it didn’t seem to be that simple.

Every time I’d amplified the dragon’s power lying dormant within me, it had been driven by a fierce will to survive.

Were there times when dragons had used the Dragon Speech so desperately to survive?

Even if there were, they must have been rare.

Maybe understanding this difference was one of the walls I had to overcome.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

Rokan said that when he saw me thinking instead of swinging my sword, even though the spar had begun.

“I can’t help it when I’m trying to understand an unknown power.”

Maybe if I crossed swords with Rokan a few times, I’d find even a small answer to these questions.

As I answered, I kicked off the ground with all my strength and charged at him.

You could barely notice it unless you looked closely, but ever since what happened in the Dragon Sword Garden, a faint light had begun to glimmer along my sword.

It was nothing compared to the aurora-colored sword aura I’d seen before, and its color was closer to pale gray.

Still, it was proof that I was growing stronger.

Rokan lightly knocked aside my first strike, then smiled with satisfaction.

“You’ve definitely improved.”

“I’d be ashamed to face you if I hadn’t.”

I tried to catch him off guard by changing the angle of my sword and thrusting quickly, but Rokan once again deflected it cleanly without moving from his spot.

After we exchanged a few more blows, Rokan nodded, looking pleased.

Of course, no miraculous event occurred—my sword didn’t come anywhere near one of Rokan’s vital points.

“Before, you used to grumble that you had no idea what the power of dragons even was. Now I can tell you’re beginning to understand it.”

“You can tell even that…?”

I hadn’t told Rokan yet, but during this latest Gate raid, I’d finally been able to feel, at least a little, what that dragon’s power flowing through my body was.

It was a strange sensation, difficult to describe.

It was like becoming vaguely aware of the blood flowing through my body, something I’d never normally notice.

Feeling something I wasn’t supposed to be able to feel was a strangely new experience.

Before, I hadn’t had the faintest idea. But maybe because of the two major events I’d gone through, I felt like I was beginning to understand what this “power of dragons” was.

Of course, what I’d understood and experienced was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Even so, during that day’s Gate raid, I’d clearly felt that I’d grown another step stronger.

“Because I’m a dragon.”

That short answer left me with no choice but to accept it.

I took advantage of the opening and swung my sword in a sudden, wide slash, but, naturally, Rokan blocked it.

The difference this time was that he didn’t block my sword from where he stood. He took a single step as he stopped it.

It might have looked like nothing to someone else, but I knew how impressive it was that I’d made him take that step.

Rokan seemed to know it, too. He smiled at me as if proud of my progress.

“Let’s spar for one more hour.”

“Pardon?”

“Just one more hour. After that, I’ll tell you some good news.”

“Good news…?”

Couldn’t he just tell me now?

And anyway, we were going to spar for another whole hour like this?

We were moving around without a break, swinging our swords along different trajectories. Even a hunter would be exhausted and collapse after doing that for an hour.

It was like playing a full hour of basketball at a nonstop pace, without even taking a break during a forty-minute game.

I understood that the training had to be intense, but wasn’t this more like overworking me? I was about to ask him carefully when Rokan said something shocking.

“I’m going to turn that dungeon you visited—the Dragon Sword Garden—into your training ground.”

“…Pardon?”